Improvement in roller-skates



A. T. co'vELL.

, Improvement in Roller-Skates.

UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

ALLEN THOMPSON COVELL, OF SAN LEANDRO,-OALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROLLER-SKATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,161, dated June 20, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN THOMPSON UovELL, of San Leandro, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skates 5 and I do hereby declare that the following description and accompanying drawing are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvements Without further invention or experiment.

My invention is an improvement in devices for operating roller-skates, whereby the front and rear sets of rollers are simultaneously adjusted for describing circles of greater or lesser radius. The invention is more particularly an improvement on the skate patented to Hiram Robbins May 10, 1870. In his invention the arrangement of the curved or semicircular bar, bolt, and spring-plate is such that a downward pressure is continually exerted on thelevers for operating the rollers, whereby the friction of the bearings of the roller-frame is increased, f

rendering it dificult for them to be turned. Several other disadvantages also result, which it is unnecessary to specify here. My device consists of fewer parts, is more cheaply constructed, furnishes a better bearing or rest for the foot, in no way increases the friction of the pivot-bearings, is more simple, and less liable to get out of order or to become broken.

Figure l represents a side view of the skate; Fig. 2, sectional view at center of wheels; Fig. 3, sectional view at center of lever.

A is the stock or foot-stand B B, the trucks, connected by the reaches C O and secured to the stock A by bolt or socket-pin, as shown in Fig. 2; F F, rollers or Wheels. D is the reversible lever. E is the pin or pivot upon which lever turns. The vertical part of D enters a recess or slot in the front reach and works freely therein. Dotted line in A represents center of stock, and curved line the edges of same. a is the axle or journal; b b, plate or washer under the stock. Thus, when the foot of the person wearing the skate is pressed down with more force on one end of the reversible lever than the other, the front reach or 1ever is turned toward the opposite side, carrying with it the inner end of the rear reach, and thereby placing the two sets of rollers at opposite angles to the skate-stock.

What I claim is- The T-shaped lever D, pivoted in the stock A, with its vertical part working in the recess or slot of the front reach, as shown and described.

ALLEN THOMPSON GOVELL.

Witnesses:

G. E. Sii/11TH,

STEPH. G. NYE. 

